Dental Assisting Named Best Job for Young People by Forbes Magazine

In an article earlier this year, Forbes Magazine named dental assisting the best job for young people. This was determined by jobs expert Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., who authored 150 Best Jobs for Your Skills.

Shatkin looked at jobs with opportunities for growth and upward movement where at least 15 percent of the people performing that job were 16 – 25 years old. He then ranked them by a combination of the job’s projected growth, estimated number of openings per year and median annual earnings.

Dental assisting came out as the number one job in large part to its good median annual salary and the expectation that demand for dental assisting will grow considerably in the coming years. Dental assistants are needed in all types of dental offices as well as public health departments, hospitals and dental schools. Actual income and benefits vary based on location and employer.

“Dental assisting is a very fulfilling job since you get to work with a variety of people to improve their oral health and self esteem,” said Ethel Campbell, director of the dental assisting program at the UNC School of Dentistry. “Currently, the demand for qualified dental assistants is high, so it is a great job choice for young men and women from a stability standpoint.”

The UNC School of Dentistry is one of only two dental schools in the country offering a dental assisting program. It is an ADA accredited program in which students have a variety of clinical experiences, including exposure to specialty clinics and externship assignments in local dental offices and public health clinics. Upon successful completion of the ten-month curriculum, students are qualified to perform the delegable functions allowed for a DAII in North Carolina, and eligible to take the Dental Assisting National Board Examination to become a certified dental assistant.